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Monday, 7 November 2011

Get a 10-inch Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi tablet for $349.99

It's hard to believe that when the Motorola Xoom tablet made its
debut back in February, it was $800. Granted, that was for the 3G
model, and the price dropped to $600 if you sprung for a two-year
Verizon contract. But come on: that's some crazy pricing.

Today only, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the Motorola Xoom 10.1-inch Android 3.0 tablet for $349.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. Surprisingly, this is a new unit, not a refurb. And it's the Wi-Fi-only model.
So
the Xoom. It comes with a dual-core processor, 32GB of storage, two
cameras (one 5-megapixel, one 2-megapixel, both with LED flashes), HDMI
out, GPS, a microSD slot, and so on. Many of those specs put it ahead
of the 32GB iPad 2 Wi-Fi, which, incidentally, still sells for $599. (Okay, Apple, enough is enough--it's time for an iPad price cut.)

Bottom line: if you're in the market for a 10-inch tablet, the Xoom is widely regarded as one of the best. (Read CNET's Xoom review if you want to learn more, though keep in mind it focuses on the 3G model, and hasn't been updated since April.)

However,
my feeling these days is that I no longer want a 10-inch tablet. The
more I use my rooted Nook Color, the more I like the 7-inch form
factor. It's much more comfortable to hold for long periods (like when
you're reading), and I find the screen more than ample for games,
videos, e-books, and the like. Obviously it's not quite as good for Web
browsing (bigger is always better), but it suffices.

So I'll ask you: are you willing pay $350 (or more) for a 10-inch tablet? Or do you agree that 7-inchers are the future?Bonus deal:
When it comes to everyday printing chores (i.e. documents that don't
require color), nothing beats a laser printer. While supplies last,
Office Depot has the Samsung ML-1865W wireless laser printer for $49.99, plus sales tax in most states. Pad your cart by at least a penny to score free shipping. (Paper clips, anyone?)